Pianist Brings Ballads To Life From Broadway To Boca

Six years ago, Michael Feinstein was tickling the ivories at piano bars in anonymity and waiting for his big break.

Now that he has found an audience, he commands stages from Broadway to Boca Raton bringing to life ballads, love songs, and Broadway tunes that evoke sweet memories of days gone by.

Feinstein has recorded eight albums of works from great composers, including Gershwin, Berlin, Styne, and Lerner and Loewe -- all songs that were written long before Feinstein, 35, was born.

It was a time when many of his fans were riding street cars to court their best girl and humming the melodies to the popular, catchy tunes.

``People feel compelled to tell me stories connected with the songs I sing,`` he said. ``It`s a wonderful feeling to evoke a strong emotion in someone.``

Feinstein is not a household name, especially to the rock `n` roll crowd. But his followers, young and old, often say he is singing only to them.

He will appear at Florida Atlantic University`s Auditorium in Boca Raton on Nov. 16 at 8 p.m. as the first performer of the Concert Showcase series.

``I try very much to create a feeling of intimacy and a connection with the audience,`` he says.

Now that he is a bit older and wiser than he was in the outset of his career in his 20s, the crooner says he seeks balance in his life.

He makes his home in Los Angeles and looks forward to the mornings when he can bide his time at a neighborhood coffee shop and take in an exhibit at the county museum. He relishes long afternoons at used book and record stores.

But with a hectic life on the road, he said, there is never enough time for romance, for browsing in antique shops and for writing his own songs.

``I haven`t had the luxury to sit down and work on my own material. The desire to express that part of myself is becoming greater and I can feel there is a time coming soon when I will be pursuing that,`` he said.

Now that his career has taken off, there are upsides and downsides.

He said he has more freedom to do what he wants and more choices but also less time for concerts, shows, movie premiers, dinners and dates.

But Feinstein is not complaining, because work means music and music is everything.

``I am fueled by the love of music and consider that to be the most important thing in my life right now,`` he said.

``It`s still very exciting and gratifying to be able to travel to a city and sit down at a piano and share the common bond of the love of this material with so many people,`` he said.

Those who flock to see him will be pleased with selections from his album released in October, Michael Feinstein Sings the Jule Styne Songbook. It is a collection of well-loved songs and hidden treasures from the composer of the well-known Broadway musical Gypsy.

Feinstein said he coralled 85-year-old Jule Styne into the recording studio and even coerced his new mentor into humming and singing a few bars.

``To have the opportunity to do an album with the composer of the songs is very exciting. In the case of working with Jule, he is a living legend.``

Feinstein is best known for his musical tributes to George and Ira Gershwin.

A turning point in the young musician`s life came at age 20 when he was introduced to Ira Gershwin. He spent six years until the lyricist`s death cataloging music, records and memorabilia.

He began preserving the Gershwin music for generations to come and has extended this gift to dozens of other great artists.

Feinstein calls ``timeless`` Gershwin songs such as Isn`t It Romantic, Embraceable You, Someone To Watch Over Me and Our Love Is Here to Stay.

He said there always has been audience for this music, but it was eclipsed in number by the pop music on the radio. Noting the popularity of Natalie Cole`s new album, Unforgettable, he said the listeners of these classics are here to stay.

``Only a few years ago I was playing at piano bars. It`s always a real kick for me to know I am doing the thing that I most love and seeing so many people respond to it,`` he said. ``I very easily could have spent the rest of my life playing at a piano bar. God knows I may end up back at one some day.``

Ticket prices for Michael Feinstein at FAU are $25 and $29. For ticket information call: 367-3758 or 305-355-5293.